The invention relates to a pluggable connection housing with a boot element which maintains the minimum bending radius of a cable attached thereto.
A combination of pluggable connection housing and booted or anti-kink element of this type is known from DE 44 12 571 C1. In the known pluggable connection housing, a contact passageway or duct is provided for an optical fibre cable and a contact passageway duct for a metal cable. Corresponding male and female members for the respective cable are arranged in the contact passageways and connected to one another while producing a pluggable connection.
In order to retain a minimum bending radius when leaving the pluggable connection housing, in particular in the optical fibre cable, the pluggable connection housing has a boot or anti-kink element. According to DE 44 12 571 C1 this is formed in two parts from a mount and a latching cap. The mount is formed integrally with the pluggable connection housing and the latching cap is latched thereto with the cable inserted therein. Accordingly, the boot is to be fastened at least partially detachably to the pluggable connection housing, the detachable part being the latching cap.
The connection of latching cap to the mount or pluggable connection housing can be easily accomplished by various methods known in the art. However, the construction is relatively complex as the mount is formed integrally with the rest of the pluggable connection housing. In addition, due to the fixed orientation of the mount only a correspondingly orientated delivery of the optical fibre cable is possible when the latching cap is unlatched. The latching elements are arranged on the latching cap or pluggable connection housing to correspond to this single possible orientation of latching cap relative to pluggable connection housing and the latching cap itself is shaped specifically to be arranged in its orientation relative to the pluggable connection housing.
The object of the invention is to improve a pluggable connection housing with the boot as described herein so that both pluggable connection housing and boot are constructed more simply and can be handled more easily and, at the same time, can be varied in their orientation relative to one another.
This object is achieved in conjunction with the features of the preamble of claim 1 in that the boot is substantially tubular and has peripheral undercuts spaced in the peripheral direction at one plug-in end. A respective undercut engages with at least one undercut element arranged in the plug-in aperture when the plug-in end is in an inserted or plugged-in position.
The boot is configured such that the corresponding curvature thereof prevents the bending radius of a cable, in particular an optical fibre cable, from falling below a minimum bending radius. The tubular design of the boot, insures that a corresponding cable can be securely guided and received therein without a further counter-element. The boot, like the pluggable connection housing, can be handled separately and both can be easily connected together. An undercut is provided at the plug-in end of the boot for reciprocal detachable connection. This can, for example, elastically deform during insertion into a plug-in aperture of a corresponding contact passageway and can then elastically reform after engaging behind the undercut element. The plug-in position of the boot is fixed by the engagement of undercut element and undercut.
Due to the shape of the boot and its connection to the pluggable connection housing, the orientation of the boot is variable relative to the pluggable connection housing. Consequently, there is a plurality of possibilities for leading the cable relative to the pluggable connection housing. As a result, there are more possible applications for the pluggable connection housing and the boot, in particular for use in assembly sites which are difficult to access or when there is little space, as is the case, for example, in a motor vehicle.
The pluggable connection housing can have two or more contact passageways extending, in particular, parallel to one another. The contact passageways can be used for metal cables, optical fibre cables or other cable-type line systems of both male and female configurations. The boot can also be designed in such a way that a specific radius can be set when leading a corresponding cable from the pluggable connection housing, such that the cable is relieved of tension owing to the boot or pluggable connection housing or else a certain degree of axial movement is possible.
In a simple embodiment, two substantially opposing latching lugs can be arranged in at least one plug-in aperture of a contact passageway as an undercut element. When inserting the plug-in end of the boot, the undercut formed there latches with the two latching lugs. The plug-in position of the plug-in end is thereby fixed. The boot can be detached from the pluggable connection housing by removing the plug-in end from the plug-in aperture. Undercut and/or latching lugs are designed in this case so as to be elastic enough to allow the detachment when a sufficient force is applied.
The boot can have a slot to simplify insertion of a cable and, in particular, of an optical fibre cable. As a result, an elasticity is produced in a simple manner in the region of the plug-in end for latching to and unlatching from the pluggable connection housing.
The undercut on the boot can, for example, be formed by a peripheral flange projecting radially outwards or by latching elements on the outside of the boot. In a preferred embodiment, the undercut of the boot is formed by a latching groove extending at a distance from the end face of the plug-in end. The corresponding latching lugs or the undercut element in the plug-in aperture can engage therein in the plugged-in position. It is noted that more than two latching lugs can be arranged as undercut elements in the plug-in aperture.
In order to hold the boot in the plug-in aperture in a relatively secure manner when it is in the plugged-in position, compensating projections can project radially outwards from the boot or else radially inwards inside the plug-in aperture. These compensating projections accordingly contact the inside of the plug-in aperture or the outside of the plug-in end and ensure that the boot is held in position with relatively little play.
The latching lugs can project from an inner wall of the plug-in aperture or the contact passageway. However, to avoid the need for excessive deformation of the corresponding plug-in end of the boot to latch with the latching lugs, a latching lug of this type can be designed as a latching slope extending obliquely inwards with an adjoining offset radially outwards in the inner wall of the contact passageway. As a result, the undercut on the boot can reform, or resiliently return toward its unstressed state, into the offset radially outwards with respect to the inner wall of the contact passageway.
The offset can be formed by a corresponding depression in the inner wall. In a preferred embodiment, the offset can be formed by a housing aperture extending radially outwards.
An offset of this type can be formed during the manufacture of the pluggable connection housing, which is preferably made of plastic material, by a corresponding core, which holds the outwardly extending housing apertures open during shaping of the pluggable connection housing. Another option for manufacturing the offset, a longitudinal groove extends along an inner wall of the contact passageway from a visible side of the contact of the pluggable connection housing.
The latching lugs can have identical configurations to simplify construction.
In order to emphasise the plug-in aperture visually and simultaneously to also make it more accessible, the contact passageway can project upwards relative to the rest of the pluggable connection housing with an end portion comprising the plug-in aperture. As a result, it can, on the one hand, be easily ascertained visually to which end the boot is to be fastened and in what manner the pluggable connection housing can be installed into a component housing.
The configuration of the end portion permits subsequent processing thereof to be simplified in order, for example, to form a corresponding undercut element. By way of example, the end portion can have at least one latching depression as an undercut element on its inside. The latching depressions can also be formed by corresponding radially outwardly extending apertures in the end portion.
In order to be able to fix the plug-in position of the boot more efficiently, the plug-in aperture can be surrounded by a rim projecting radially externally beyond the end portion. A corresponding rim on the plug-in end of the boot can be brought into contact therewith.
In order to design the end portion so as to be more stable, struts extending from the rim downwards in the direction of the rest of the pluggable connection housing can be arranged along an external face of the end portion.
In another embodiment, in which the plug-in aperture is also emphasised at least visually, the latter can be formed by a plug-in ring held at a distance from the rest of the pluggable connection housing. This is arranged coaxially with the respective contact passageway, but at a certain distance therefrom.
To hold the plug-in ring on the rest of the pluggable connection housing, at least two webs may be provided between plug-in ring and the rest of the pluggable connection housing.
In order to be able to hold the plug-in ring elastically within certain limits, the webs can extend so as to bend radially outwards. This allows a specific variation of the arrangement of plug-in ring relative to the contact passageway.
Owing to spacing between the plug-in ring and the contact passageway, a separate undercut element can be dispensed with, if, for example, an underside of the plug-in ring forms the undercut element directly.
In order to be able to safeguard the boot against unintentional detachment from the pluggable connection housing, a plug-in slot extending transversely to the contact passageway can be formed adjacent to the plug-in aperture of the pluggable connection housing. A substantially U-shaped circlip can be inserted into the slot. This circlip can prevent unintentional detachment of the latching engagement of plug-in end of the boot and pluggable connection housing. In addition, the circlip can simultaneously or supplementarily be designed as an undercut element, so, instead of the latching connection already mentioned or supplementarily thereto, it allows the detachable connection of boot and pluggable connection housing.
In a further embodiment of the invention it is possible that a corresponding plug-in slot extends only so far into the pluggable connection housing such that a corresponding circlip engages precisely in the latching groove on the corresponding boot or engages behind the corresponding undercut. It is not necessary for the plug-in slot and/or circlip to extend up to the back of the pluggable connection housing remote from the plug-in aperture.
In addition, in a further embodiment of the invention there is the possibility of arranging corresponding plug-in elements on opposing sides of the pluggable connection housing, it being possible to insert corresponding circlips into these plug-in slots in opposing directions. It is also conceivable that with opposingly arranged plug-in slots of this type, approximately L-shaped circlips can be inserted in plug-in slots associated with only one boot to secure the boot.
In a simple embodiment, the circlip can engage behind the undercut on the boot when it is plugged-in, and can, in particular, engage in the latching groove, with at least one leg.
In some applications, it can be regarded as being advantageous both for fixing the circlip in the plug-in slot and for improving the engagement with the corresponding undercut on the boot if the plug-in slot continues in a receiving aperture formed in the wall of the pluggable connection housing for insertion of a free end of the leg remote from its slot aperture. This receiving aperture can be continued up to the outside of the wall of the pluggable connection housing.
It is also advantageous with two contact passageways if the circlip has two outer legs and one central leg, a plug-in end of a boot being arranged and detachably held in the inserted position between the middle and an external leg respectively.
The central leg can in particular be designed in this connection such that it acts as an undercut element in the direction of the respective contact passageway on both sides.
In order to be able to ascertain correct arrangement and retention of the boot in the pluggable connection housing visually, the circlip can be inserted into the is plug-in slot so as to be flush and can be latched in its end position.
Latching can be, for example, by means of corresponding latching elements at the free ends of the clip or in another manner. In an easily produced embodiment the circlip has a latching element on its upper side which can latch with a substantially complementary counter latching element between the plug-in apertures in the pluggable connection housing in the end position of the circlip.
An example of a counter-latching element of this type is a substantially circular hole which extends from a upper side of the pluggable connection housing in the direction of the plug-in slot and is arranged substantially between the plug-in apertures of the contact passageways.
To simplify introduction of the circlip into the plug-in slot, a rail-shaped guide with which a guide groove can be associated on an underside of the circlip for guidance along the guide rail, extends between the contact passageways.
Insertion of the circlip into the slot aperture can also be simplified in that the plug-in slot is surrounded by a locating edge inclined obliquely inwards in the plug-in direction of the circlip. This locating edge can also be formed on the leading end of the rail-shaped guide facing the slot aperture.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which: